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A MARINE REVIEW. Scientific Men in Lake Ship Yards. The announcement, a few days ago, that Mr. Arendt Ang- strom, naval architect and constructing engineer of the Cleve- land Ship Building Company, had resigned his position with that company and had accepted the position of general manager with the Doty Engine Works Company, Toronto, directs at- tention to a class of men of scientific attainments, who have within the past few years found responsible positions in nearly all of the steel ship building plants on the lakes, but about whom little is heard outside of the "draughting room." <A few notes about Mr. Angstrom, secured through a friend, will tend to show the training necessary to fit these men for the work of designing all parts ofa ship. ° | Mr. Angstrom is a native 'of Sweden, and his early educa- tion in mechanics was secured with his father, Professor C. A. Angstrom of the Royal Technical High School of Stockholm. Upon graduating from the Stockholm school, he spent some time at the ship yards in Sweden, and later took a course at the naval institute in Cherbourg, France, where our young naval constructors now get their finish. After visiting England and Scotland he came to the United States in 1883 and soon obtained profitable employment at the United States torpedo station, Newport, R. I. While there he was sent by the government, together with Professor White, to study the manufacture of gun- cotton in Great Britain, and after his return completed and per- fected the gun cotton plant at the torpedo station. He remained there for six years, and during the latter part of this period he 'designed several coast steamers and also assisted in the designs of the Old Colony steamers Puritan and Plymouth. Later, the opportunity with the Cleveland Ship Building Company pre- sented itself and his first production of importance with that company was the horizontal triple expansion engines of the pad- dle steamer City of Toledo, which has been engaged during the present season in the World's fair service. He also designed for the Cleveland company the monitors Choctaw and Andaste, owned by the Lake Superior Iron Company, the steel. steam yacht Wadena, the Wilson line steamer Yuma and the Bradley steamer Alva. The Toronto company with which Mr. Angstrom has now engaged as general manager recently "took over,' to use a Canadian or British term, the works of the John Doty Engine Company, which failed a few months ago. The ship yard por- tion of the plant will require quite an expenditure in order to fit it for the construction of large ships, but it is understood .to be the intention of the new owners to make such improve- ments, in view of contracts that can be secured in Canada. The Merida Leads. For some time past considerable has been said in the news- papers about the merits, as regards speed, of the big freight steamers S. 5. Curry and E. C. Pope, the former owned by Eddy Bros. of Bay City and the latter by the Hawgood & Avery Tran- sit Company of Cleveland. In the discussion no attention was paid to the steamer Merida, which is practically a duplicate of the Curry, and is owned by D. C. Whitney and others of Detroit. All three of these steamers finally came together at the St. Mary's falls canal at the close of last week on their way down the lakes with cargoes, and the Merida was the victor in a race to Port Huron. The boats left the Sault at daylight Saturday in this order : Maruba, Curry, Pope, Merida, Republic. The Merida passed the Pope at Lime Island, and at Detour, the real contestants, the the Curry and Marida, were about a mile apart, the former lead- ing. At the end of an hour the Merida had almost closed up the gap. At this point the Curry stopped for 15 or 20 minutes, and then worked along all right, but was apparently loosing ground all the time. About half way between Thunder Bay island and Point aux Barques the Merida's feed pump broke down, knock- <a ing out one of the steam-cylinder covers. This necessiated feed- ing with the injectors and the steam pressure consequently fell to about 145, ranging from 140 to 150, but at no time going above 150. 'The Merida reached the river first of the fleet, beat- ing the Curry 10 minutes. Her time is as follows: Detour light, 9:56 a. m.; Presque Isle, 12:56 p. m.; Thunder bay, 2:45 p.m.; Point aux Barques, 7.45 Pp- m™.; check at Fort Gratiot ranges, 12:50 a. m.; Fort Gratiot light, 1:06 a. m. The Curry and Merida are the largest steamers on the lakes and both were built within the past year by F. W. Wheeler & Co. of West Bay City, Mich. In the case of the Merida, how- ever, the engines were designed by Mr. H. Penton of the Fron- tier Iron Works of Detroit, Mich.,and built at that works. , The wheels of both boats are also from the Frontier works, The Merida's time on the stretch from Detour to Thunder bay, 4 hours and 49 ininutes, is remarkable, as it is equal to about 15.4 miles an hour. Another American Line of Atlantic Steamers. On Friday of this week, the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company will inaugurate at Newport News, Va., an Atlantic steamship service with its own boats. The steamer Rappahan- nock, the first of a fleet of six big freight steamers built in Eng- land, will probably have arrived in this country by the time the REVIEW is in the hands ot its readers, and the arrival of the first boat will be fittingly celebrated. The new vessels, although built and registered in England, are practically American, as they were built by American capital and will be controlled here. A very large part of the export business of the Chesepeake and Ohio railway reaches Newport News from Lake Michigan over the Big Four railway, both roads being under practically the -- same management, and on this account matters connected with the formal opening of the new line of ships will be of interest here. Three of the steamers now well under way, the Rappa- hannock, Shenandoah and the Kanawha, are being built by Messrs. Alex. Stephens & Son, of Linthouse, Glasgow, and the remaining three, the Appomattox, Chickahominy and Greenbrier, will come from the yard of Furness, Withey & Co. of West Hartlepool, England. Case Involving Government Rights at the Sault Canal. A decision in another of the cases 'heard in Detroit last June by Judges Taft, Lurton and Swan, United States circuit court, was given out a few days ago. 'The case was that of Scranton vs. Wheeler and the opinion was written by Judge Lurton. 'Two years ago a suit was brought in ejectment by Gilmore G. Scranton against Supt. Wheeler of the St. Mary's Falls canal. Scranton is the owner of property at Sault Ste. Marie and claimed that the construction, in 1881, of what is known as the new south pier above the canal had excluded him from access to his land. He sought damages in the sum of $35,000. A yearago, United States District Judge Severns heard the case and decided that the plaintiff was not entitled to recover. This opinion has been upheld by the circuit court, but counsel for the plaintiff says they will appeal to the United States su- preme court. The opinion written by Judge Lurton was pre- pared with great care and is important as regards the riparian proprietors and the power of Congress to regulate commerce between the states, _ In answer to the criticism from George Y. Wisner, civil en- gineer of Detroit, in regard to government work on Lake Erie harbots and the draught of water to be secured through the 20- foot channel now being dredged in the connecting waters of the lakes, Gen. Poe favors the REviEW with a very interesting com- munication, which appears elsewhere in this issue. It should be read by everybody interested in lake shipping. British charts of Lake Superior cover the entire north shore. $1.